


Not Kidding Around

by ominousrum



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Canon Universe, F/M, Olaf's Frozen Adventure spoilers, because everyone needs fluff, whole bunch o' fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 11:32:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11417070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ominousrum/pseuds/ominousrum
Summary: Meeting Anna, a princess, and subsequently falling in love with her had been a definite education that some worlds thrived on tradition.





	Not Kidding Around

**Author's Note:**

> Bad pun title is bad but I'm not sorry.

Kristoff didn’t grow up in a world steeped in traditions. His world was smaller, more turbulent in those early years. His mother and father, rest their souls, didn’t have the time to instill tradition in him. The most they had imparted before their untimely demise had been perseverance, kindness, and a fondness for music.

The trolls had their own customs, deep-rooted beliefs that were solemn and permeated every action. Kristoff loved and respected them and tried to abide by all of their rules, but there was an essence to their spirituality he couldn’t quite understand. The crystals were beautiful, as were the smiles of the trolls who received them, but whatever power they held didn’t resonate with him. 

Meeting Anna, a _princess_ , and subsequently falling in love with her had been a definite education that some worlds thrived on tradition. While Anna was certainly far from conventional and Elsa herself very open-minded, the traditions that came with being Arendelle royalty were to be expected rather than forgotten. Kristoff learned quickly that questioning the whys behind things ended up in quite circular discussions.

Elsa was fretting over Christmas celebrations – hands wringing nervously any time someone caught a glimpse of her. Anna tried to soothe her with assurances that everything would be wonderful whatever they did, but Elsa was hung up on having robbed Anna of so many family Christmases in the past. They had no personal connection to any of the royal traditions; never sitting together as a family for any length of time after Elsa discovered her powers.  Forging new traditions as a family seemed foremost in Elsa’s mind.

Olaf used his nervous energy (something in his magical makeup seemingly a direct vein of anxiety from Elsa herself) to learn about every tradition every family in Arendelle had ever taken up. Kristoff listened to his chattering with varying degrees of attention until talk of the Yule Goat passed excitedly from the snowman’s lips. Sven was more preoccupied with eating the nearest carrot than anything either of them had to say.

A memory as powerful as the smell of winter while wielding his pickaxe came over Kristoff. His memories of Christmases were few, but the image of a small wooden goat set on the hearth of the cabin that was once his home was painted clearly in his mind. His father had carved it, he was sure, and something bubbling up from nowhere particularly discernable told Kristoff his mother smiled broadly at it whenever she saw it.

The tradition itself involved hiding small goat figures in neighbours houses unnoticed, usually accompanied by carolling boisterously and general comradery.  The goat itself a symbol of a bountiful yule-time as well as trickery.

“Olaf, I need your help with something,” Kristoff spoke, voice low and determined.

“Help! Yes, help is a thing I can do.”

“I think the Yule Goat is just the tradition Elsa needs. And I’m going to need your help for a special surprise.”

“Is the surprise a goat?” Olaf jumped on spot, twig arms flailing about wildly.

“More than just a goat, but yes.”

“Oh this is going to be great! So, how many goats do you need me to fill the castle with?” Olaf began to count imaginary goats, visualizing how they would fit in an average-sized room.

“Don’t do that, Olaf,” Kristoff sighed. “Just talk to Elsa and Anna and tell them what you’ve found out about the Yule Goat.”

“You got it, Kristoff!” Olaf was halfway out the door before another thought stuck him. “And then you’ll tell me what the surprise is?”

“I would,” Kristoff nodded, “I totally would if I didn’t want it to be a surprise for you, too.”

Olaf practically danced out of the room singing about how much he loved surprises as Kristoff cast Sven a weary look. At the very least, Olaf was going to be a formidable distraction. 

***

 

Anna grinned at her new winter dress and coat, twirling about her room and making the yule goat trim dance with her.

“It’s perfect, Elsa.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Elsa smiled. “I feel like there’s still so much to do, though.”

“We’ll get it done. Together.” Anna wound a reassuring arm around her sister’s shoulder. “Gerda is cooking up a storm and Olaf is helping with the decorations.”

“Are we sure Olaf isn’t wrapped in a bunch of ribbon somewhere, possibly about to fall out a window?”

“Not the last time I checked, so that’s something!” Anna confirmed.

“Where’s Kristoff these days?” Elsa was suddenly struck with the realization she hadn’t seen the ice master in days.

“Kristoff? Oh well he’s been spending most days with the trolls and heads back to his cabin most nights.”

Elsa hummed, unconvinced. She squared her shoulders and gave a nod to the idea that formed in her mind.

“Let’s go spy on what Gerda has come up with and sneak a taste.”

“Who am I to argue with such a perfect suggestion?” Anna happily linked her arm with her sister and dragged them both as fast as their feet allowed. 

***

 

It had taken Kristoff several days to carve no less than twenty yule goats out of whatever wood scraps he could find. One goat he’d taken his time with; carving delicate features and small sprigs of holly around its curled horns. It was slightly larger than the other goats but still small enough to sneak into the castle. Whenever he imagined it in a particular room, his heart beat erratically.

He almost didn’t catch the sound of a soft but determined knock at his cabin door after an evening spent refining his handiwork. He hurried to hide the army of goats from prying eyes as he pulled the heavy wooden door open.

“Elsa?” Kristoff stared at the queen, confused.

“Sorry to arrive unannounced, but may I speak with you?” Elsa was almost vibrating with unspoken words.

“Uh, sure. Is anything wrong? Is Anna okay?”

“Hmm? Oh, she’s fine.”

“Did Sven eat some of the yule feast?” Kristoff winced, only relaxing slightly when Elsa cocked an eyebrow at him.

“ _No_. Should I be on the lookout for that sort of thing?”

“No! No, definitely not.” Kristoff forced a laugh.

“Kristoff, do you remember when you and Anna first started courting?”

A flush of heat flared into his face – the thought of having such a talk with Elsa radiated embarrassment through to his toes.

“Uh, yeah. Yes.”

“There were lots of discussions about how Arendelle royalty is meant to behave and what the proper steps are for entering into that kind of world as a commoner,” Elsa flinched at her own words, “I don’t mean that to sound like you aren’t important, just the verbiage-“

“It’s alright, I understand.” Kristoff offered a reassuring smile though internally his stomach was leaping impatiently.

“I just wanted to let you know that none of those things really matter to me as long as Anna is happy.”

Kristoff stared, uncertain of how to respond. He knew Elsa’s magic was powerful but he hadn’t assumed it also had elements of mind-reading. He had intended to speak with Elsa about his plans – of _course_ he had – but somehow her simple words to him now seemed more than enough.

Elsa studied Kristoff, a tentative smile spread across her face as his expression changed to one of understanding. “I should go. We’ll see you for the festivities day after tomorrow?”

Kristoff nodded as the queen pulled the hood of her cape over her head and walked to the door. It took him a beat to realize he hadn’t said goodbye and she moved to close the door behind her.

“Elsa?” Kristoff hurried to call after her, relief flooding over him like a warm bath.

“Yes?” Elsa poked her head back through.

“Olaf didn’t happen mention anything about a surprise, did he?”

“Not exactly. Though he does seem very concerned with goats these days,” Elsa grinned.

Kristoff unearthed the goat figurines from their hiding spot once Elsa left, a renewed sense of excitement fluttering in his chest. The conversation with Elsa he’d been dreading had gone better than he could have imagined and all the pieces of his surprise were falling into place.

He sat by the hearth, the fancier goat carving in his hands.

If nothing else, this yule would be one to remember. 

***

 

Arendelle castle was as welcoming and open as it had been isolated for all prior yule festivities. Sprigs of holly were woven into delicate sheaths of straw and strung from every possible corner, the courtyard transformed into an icy wonderland complete with etchings of goats along the ground and a larger than life goat statue as the focal point.

Anna and Elsa spent the better part of the day going door to door, carolling and bringing small gifts to their kingdom; the joy the sisters had in their new tradition clearly rubbing off on all the families left beaming after their departure.

Kristoff’s day was full of helping put the finishing touches on the yule feast, carrying platter after platter of food into the great hall and basically ensuring Gerda wouldn’t be completely exhausted before dinner. Olaf and Sven had been given decoration duty, but as this was largely complete the two instead took turns to see who could slide the farthest on the ice – points given for successfully manoeuvering around the goat.

When they all finally sat down to eat, Kristoff couldn’t help but smile at the rosy glow in Anna’s cheeks and the way her periwinkle blue outfit brought out the fiery red of her hair. It was all Kristoff could do to keep quiet about his plans until the last spoonful of the last course was eaten and Anna yawned and stretched like a cat, head coming to rest on his shoulder.

“I, uh, have a surprise for you Anna. I hope you don’t mind staying awake a little bit longer?”

Anna perked up, eyes sparkling, “I think I can manage to stay up for a _surprise_!”

“I was hoping that would be the case. Actually Elsa and Olaf can help, if they don’t mind,” Kristoff rubbed a hand across the back of his neck.

“Of course,” Elsa agreed, laughing at how much Olaf was bouncing in anticipation next to her.

“Great, good, good. Well, I’ve hidden goat carvings all throughout the castle and I thought it may be fun to uh find them all.” Kristoff stammered.

“You’re going to give me an advantage though, right?” Anna nudged him in the ribs. “That’s how this courting thing works, isn’t it?”

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll go with you and we’ll see how many we come across together.”

“Deal!” Anna jumped up from her seat, yanking Kristoff’s arm after her to propel him forward.

“Come on, Olaf, we can be a team,” Elsa calmly rose from her seat, the excitable snowman hobbling after her, shouting instructions.

Anna found the first four in fairly quick succession in the kitchen, punching the air with a loud whoop at every find. Whenever they passed Elsa and Olaf in the halls, Anna would yell out their current count which always seemed to be considerably higher if Olaf’s visible deflating was anything to go by. Being at Anna’s side meant Kristoff could control their path, offering vague suggestions and shrugging nonchalantly when pressed for further information. He had to hope Elsa would do her best to steer Olaf far away from him and Anna, lest the final piece of his surprise be ruined.

“Are you sure there are more goats, Kristoff? We have fourteen already!”

“Let’s meet up with Elsa and Olaf and see how many they have,” Kristoff smiled from atop a sea of goat figures in his arms. Anna caught the sound of Olaf’s laugh in the air and rushed upstairs as Kristoff chuckled behind her.

“Elsa! How many do you have?” Anna gasped.

“Seven so far, though I assume we’re still behind you two.” Elsa confirmed.

“Sweet, we’re totally winning!”

“Nearly finished, but there’s one more goat left,” Kristoff admitted, a subtle raise of his eyebrows at Elsa as though trying to enact a secret code.

“I bet I know where it is,” Elsa nodded to Olaf and the two went off in exactly the direction Kristoff wanted to see them go.

Anna pouted at the thought that she would not be the one to claim the final goat, turned on her heel and marched down the hallway. Kristoff felt nearly feverish with anticipation, knowing that within a few minutes his surprise would come to light.

“Uh, do you mind if I leave fourteen goats on your bed?” Kristoff smirked as they approached Anna’s room.

“That is certainly a sentence I never thought I’d hear, but go ahead,” Anna giggled, feet perched on her toes to investigate the top of her curtain rod. She caught a strange figure out of the corner of her eye and leapt to her dresser, the last goat quickly snatched up and held victoriously above her head.  

Anna spun around to beam at Kristoff but the sight she found stole all the air from her lungs. Kristoff had edged closer to her while her back was turned and was kneeling before her, a nervous smile on his handsome face.

“So, there’s one more part to the surprise,” he said, “That goat has a special gift inside.”

“Kristoff-“ Anna let out a gasp as she pulled open the tiny hinge on the goat’s side to reveal a beautiful ring housing a brilliant green crystal, an intricate filigree of Arendelle crocuses surrounding it.

“I hope it’s alright. I made it myself with the help of the trolls and the blacksmith.”

“Are you _serious?_ ” was all Anna could say, mouth open in shock.

“Never been more serious about anything in my life,” Kristoff nodded.

Once the shock settled in, Anna’s eyes began to well up with tears which Kristoff took as a sign he should hurry up with his intended speech.

“I love you, Anna. I can’t imagine my life without you and I don’t want to. Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Anna shouted, holding out the ring with a shaky hand for Kristoff to place it on her finger. He met hers with an equally shaky grip to slide the ring on, knocked backwards a moment later by Anna having flung her arms around his neck to pepper his face with kisses.

It was like that, giddy and in each other’s arms, that Elsa and Olaf found them.

“I take it the surprise went well?” Elsa smiled warmly.


End file.
